Over the years, the constant attacks and violence committed at the hands of Israeli settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territory have cost Palestinians their lives as well as economic losses much of which on the agricultural level, which is perceived by the consecutive Israeli governments and Israeli settlers’ groups as a prime target as it represents a tie between the people and the land, where they are improvising new methods and ways to squeeze and push Palestinians out and voluntary displace them from their own lands.
Uprooting of trees in Al Jab’a village
On the early morning of February 22, 2011, herds of Illegal Israeli settlers and under the protection of Israeli police and Occupation Army stormed Jab’a village southwest of Bethlehem Governorate and stationed at several areas in the village and adjacent to the Illegal Israeli settlement of Beit ‘Ayn (Surif), and started to uproot dozens of Olive trees owned by local residents of the village. In Al Khalleh area in Al Jab’a village, the Israeli settlers uprooted more than 100 Olive trees and loaded them in a truck under the protection of the Israeli Army Forces and took them to unknown destination. The targeted land and trees are owned by local resident ‘Izzat Abdullah Abu Latifa and his sons. In the same area, the settlers uprooted 195 Olive trees owned by local farmer Mohammad Ahmad Abdellatif Abu Subhia.
The Israeli settlers then stationed in Mishmash area at entrance of the village and uprooted and destroyed 40 ten years old-Olive trees owned by local farmer Abdel Raheem ‘Ali Abdel Hammed At- ous. Mr. ‘Awad Abu Swai, the head of Wall and Settlement Unit in the Directorate of Agriculture in Bethlehem Governorate provided that Al Jaba’ residents are facing systematic attacks carried out at the hands of Israeli settlers of the adjacent settlement of Beit ‘Ayn; in addition, during the last month, Israeli settlers uprooted about 100 olive trees in Hussnieh area owned by Mohammad and Munir At-Tous.
Al Jab’a village is located to the southwest of Bethlehem city and is a home to 1155 residents (PCBS – 2010). Its area is 7120 dunums and bounded by the 1948 Armistice Line (Green Line) from the west, the settlements of Gava’ot, Rush Tzurim and Beit ‘Ayn from the east, the illegal Israeli settlement of Betar Ilit from the north and the city of Surif from the south.
Israeli attacks against lands and properties in Deir Istiya Village
Two days later, and on February 24, 2011, the Israeli Army bulldozers and under the protection of the Israeli Occupation Forces razed 15 dunums of lands cultivated with hundreds of Olive trees in Deir Istiya village north of Salfit Governorate. The targeted lands are owned by local resident Mahmoud As-Samhan, located in Kattan al Jame’ area in Deir Istiya which is adjacent to Revava settlement.
Dei Istiya is a small Palestinian village located 7 km away from Salfit City, and 25 km away from the city of Nablus. It is placed under Salfit Governorate jurisdiction. A side road connects the village to the main road in the area, Nablus- Jerusalem road. It is surrounded by different Palestinian villages including Zeta, Kafl Haris, Haris, Amatin, ‘Azzun, Qarawat Bani Hassan, Biddya, and others. The village is inhabited by 3146 people; most of them depend on agriculture as a source of living. The total area of Deir Istiya village is 34592 dunums, 640 dunums of which constitute the village built-up area.
Throughout the years, the Israeli Occupation expropriated 4034 dunums that were used for colonial expansion purposes. Many illegal settlements were established in the area including Ariel, Yakir, Revava, Emanuel, and many others.
Israeli Settlers’ Attacks in Jabal Al Furdeis area
Later on March 1, 2011, armed Israeli settlers, protected by the Israeli Occupation Forces, stormed the Palestinian lands in Jabal Al Furdeis area southeast of Bethlehem Governorate uprooted 25 Olive trees owned by local resident Ahmad Mohammad Al-Wahsh and installed tents on his lands before leaving the area after several hours. It is worth mentioning that residents of Al Furdeis area are suffering from the Israeli settlers and Army continuous violations which mainly aim to prevent them from reaching their lands to cultivate them in a step which will lead at the end to confiscate their lands for colonial purposes.
Israeli Settlers attacks at Qusra village
The Israeli settlers’ savagery and brutality have no limits, where on the early morning of March 4, 2011, settlers form the Illegal Israeli settlement of Shevut Rahel attacked Palestinian lands owned by local residents of Qusra village, uprooted and destroyed 500 Olive trees. It’s worth mentioning that on February 20, 2011, the Israeli settlers attacked the lands of local residents in Qusra village and uprooted 200 Olive seedlings and 70 Olive trees.
Qusra village is located 27 kilometers south of the city of Nablus and is populated by 5536 residents (PCBS 2010).
To Conclude
In light of absence of accountability, or deterrent factor, the Israeli settlers were encouraged without hesitant to escalate their violations and attacks against the Palestinian residents on their lands, which became a daily practice throughout the Occupied Territory, but more than that, the Israeli Occupation Forces are accomplice with the settlers’ violations, when protecting them while wreaking havoc in the Palestinian lands in all over the Occupied Territory. Land Leveling and property destruction carried out by the Israeli Occupation Forces violate the International law rules and conventions such as:
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Article 53 & 147 of the Fourth Geneva Convention indicated that:Extensive destruction and appropriation of property not justified by military necessity and carried out unlawfully and wantonly, is a grave breach of the Convention.
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In addition, the uprooting and the closures are a clear violation of Article 23 of The Hague Convention, which provides that: ‘it forbidden to destroy or seize the enemy’s property, ‘unless such destruction or seizure be imperatively demanded by the necessities of war’.
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Also under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of, December 10, 1948, Article 17 reads: ‘No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.’ Which means it bans Israel from destroying or confiscating the property of the Palestinians at any case.
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[1] Revava is an Illegal Israeli settlement, established in 1991 on the Palestinian lands of Deir Istiya, its built up area is around 160 dunums and populated by more than 1100 settler.
[2] Shavuot Rahel is an Illegal Israeli settlement established in 1992, its buildup area is 1113 dunums and inhabited by about 500 Illegal Israeli settlers.
Prepared by
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
ARIJ
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
ARIJ
